Archive for category: Activism

Information and stories on social activism.

Helping after the Earthquake in China

As of Aug. 6, the death toll of the earthquake that hit Yunnan, China has reached 589. The earthquake reached a magnitude of 6.1 in Ludin county, which is an area 225 miles north of Kunming, the capital, and even caused some damage in the surrounding areas of Guizhou and Sichuan.

The earthquake in China, however, was not the first in the region. In 1970, an earthquake reaching a magnitude of 7.7 killed approximately 15,000 people. In 2008, an earthquake took the lives of 90,000 in the Sichuan area, and an earthquake in 2012 left 81 people dead.

In response to this devastating natural disaster, rescue teams are working to recover as much of the area and as many lives as they possibly can.

The rescue teams have been working to dig bodies and survivors out from among the rubble and debris, but their progress is often halted by torrential rainstorms, landslides and the recurring tremors that constantly plague the region. Liu Jianhua, a senior local official, told the Guardian that “the blocked roads and the continuous downpours have made some disaster areas inaccessible for heavy relief vehicles.”

The state news agency Xinhua reported that although the government sent 2,000 tents, 3,000 quilts, 3,000 coats and 3,000 folding beds, the weather in the region is making it extremely difficult to provide the afflicted families with any relief. Thus far, 300 policemen and firefighters and 2,500 troops have been sent to help those hurt, homeless, and/or still trapped under the debris from the earthquake.

The rescue crews are also urgently trying to evacuate survivors whose residences are in what is being called the “quake lake,” which is an area where the water level is rising approximately one meter per hour. Twenty homes have already been destroyed by this rising water.

Although the rescue teams are doing their best, it doesn’t seem to be enough. A resident of the impacted area told The Guardian that “all the houses in the town have been damaged by the earthquake and at least two-thirds of them so badly that they could not be used anymore. Every few minutes there are people being carried away from the rubble.”

– Jordyn Horowitz

Sources: The Guardian, The Huffington Post
Photo: Mashable

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Top 7 Donors to Gaza and West Bank

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has stated that Palestinians in Gaza currently face an “enormous reconstruction task.” While rebuilding will probably be left up to humanitarian aid organizations, these organizations will depend on donations from the international community. International organizations play an important role in the economy of the Palestinian territories.

1. United States ($440 million)

Despite being in a difficult position in the Middle East, the United States is the largest donor to the Palestinian territories. On top of military aid to Israel, the U.S. has contributed humanitarian and economic recovery aid to the Gaza and West Bank in an attempt to alleviate poverty and suffering in those areas.

2. European Union ($370 million)

The European Union provides aid to the Palestinian territories in order to improve areas that are important in forming a thriving and peaceful state and relieving poverty. The European Union’s aid assists the Palestinian Authority in providing social assistance, supporting public service delivery, paying the salaries of public workers and supporting the private sector strengthens the rule of law and improves sanitation and water. Its total humanitarian assistance for Gaza and West Bank this year is at around $42.3 million. Two-thirds of this is allocated for emergency response and food assistance in Gaza.

3. UNRWA ($310 million)

UNRWA is seen mostly as a stabilizing agency in Gaza and West Bank, providing education, health care and food in those areas. Although Israel has accused the organization of being one-sided and members of U.S. Congress are concerned that U.S. aid to UNRWA could be funding Hamas, UNRWA has continued to provide services to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.

4. United Kingdom ($136 million)

Although the United Kingdom believes that Israel has a right to self-defense, it is currently debating if they should still sell arms to Israel. Support from the United Kingdom for Gaza and West Bank is also large. In 2014, the United Kingdom will give $19 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority, which will be used to provide education needs as well as alleviate hunger and poverty in the Palestinian territories.

5. Japan ($76 million)

Japan is very outspoken in its support for the Palestinian territories. In July, Japan promised $5.5 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza to assist in distributing medicine, food and improving water and sanitation. Some of Japan’s 2014 bilateral aid spending will go to West Bank, improving public services in Jordan Valley and strengthening water infrastructure in Jericho City.

6. Germany ($55 million)

Germany’s aid programs in Gaza and West Bank highlight economic development, security, governance, environment and water infrastructure as important areas to work on. On top of strengthening institutions to provide and regulate water services, Germany works with the Palestinian Ministry of Women’s Affairs to empower women to take on management positions in the water sector. Germany also works with refugee communities in the West Bank and provides psychosocial support in Gaza’s schools.

7. France ($40 million)

Through the French Development Agency’s investments in water and energy, France has been supporting Gaza and West Bank humanitarian rebuilding efforts. Last year, France gave $25.7 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority. In July, President François Hollande stated that France would give almost $15 million to Gaza. Almost $11 million of that will go to the Palestinian Authority, and the rest will go to Gaza-based NGOs.

Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for UNRWA, said that the work ahead of them in reconstruction efforts is enormous. “Some estimates say as many as 10,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, affecting tens of thousands of people. So the catastrophic human displacement crisis is morphing into a homelessness crisis on a massive scale.”

– Colleen Moore

Sources: Devex, International Business Times
Photo: The Guardian

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Spotlight on Heifer International

Dan West was a farmer from America’s heartland when a church mission called him to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War. There he served war-weary refugees. Each were given a cup of milk per day, an amount West considered woefully inadequate. His solution was not more milk. It was more cows. In 1944, he founded Heifers for Relief, which proceeded to later become Heifer International. The organization seeks to end world hunger and poverty, one cow, sheep, goat and duck at a time.

The bulk of Heifer services is manifest through livestock. Donors can access an online catalogue of animals and purchase one for a family in need.

In many parts of the world, cattle provide a steady source of milk as well as a steady source of income through the selling of the excess. Sheep’s wool is spun into wool for clothing; the extra is sold. Water buffalo provide both milk and power by pulling plows to till soil. Yet Heifer International does not deal exclusively with large animals; they also have ducks, rabbits, fish and honeybees for purchase.

All animals come to families on two conditions. The first is that the family “pass on the gift.” The first female offspring of a family’s Heifer International livestock must be given to a neighboring family. Entire communities have been enriched this way. Heifer has touched over 20.7 million families. In fact, some Heifer animals can be traced back 22 generations.

The second condition is that the families receive animal-care training. Not all families aided by Heifer International are farmers, so they are taught to build pens and grow fodder, everything essential for the well-being of their animal.

While the organization is best known for its animal catalogue, it is involved in a wide variety of projects. For example, Heifer teaches communities sustainable farming practices and water conservation. Women are thus empowered to use their skills to become self-sufficient within their own communities.

Heifer International recently marked its 70th anniversary battling poverty and hunger. According to President and CEO Pierre Ferrari, “We know that smallholder farmers are the solution. We are proud of Heifer’s success, but there is still much to do.”

– Olivia Kostreva

Sources: Heifer International 2, Heifer International 3, Charity Navigator
Photo: Heifer International Flickr

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Five Charitable Companies

Corporations and charities aren’t two ideas that necessarily go hand in hand. Corporations generally exist to make money; charities give it away (or use it to give away items or resources to people in need). However, some companies do freely give their profits to charities, showing that even the corporations that make the biggest profits are also invested in people who make the least. Here are the five most charitable companies.

1. Kroger

The biggest grocery store chain in America is also one of its most charitable companies, in terms of percentage of profits. In 2010, Kroger donated more than 10 percent of its overall profits – approximately $64 million – to charities at both local and national levels. Kroger’s charitable endeavors include not only donations, but also employee volunteering efforts programs and participation in programs to feed the hungry. Kroger’s store loyalty card-holders can also choose local charities to which they would like a portion of their bill to be donated, allowing communities to rally around local causes.

2. Macy’s

Charity may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a company that sponsors showy events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but this department store actually gives a significant amount of its profits to charities around the country. Macy’s consistently gives approximately $40 million annually to charitable organizations, and encourages its customers to give back around the holidays with its “Thanks for Sharing” campaign.

3. Walmart

Walmart giving does not total much of its overall profits (less than 1.5 percent, actually), but because this corporation is such a behemoth, its charitable donations, dollar for dollar, are more than almost any other company in the world – it was knocked down to #2 in 2013 by Wells Fargo. Walmart donates over $300 million per year to charity. The company also donates significant amounts of food to charities and hunger-prevention programs.

4. Goldman Sachs

Another surprising company that ranks high on the corporate giving list is Goldman Sachs. Despite its alleged role in causing the recession of 2008, Goldman actually works in some ways to prevent poverty by donating millions to charity. In fact, during a time period in which its own profits dropped by 35 percent, Goldman increased its charitable giving by a whopping 300 percent, bringing them to $315 million total. Though the company has been accused of using charitable donations to bolster their image after the fiscal crisis, the fact remains that few companies have donated more than Goldman.

5. Target

Target makes the top 10 charitable corporations list, with its donations coming in at five percent of total profits. Target’s employees are some of the most generous with their time as well, as Target runs a substantial employee service program. Target’s goal is to transform for the better every community with a Target store, and by giving to charities that support education, hunger prevention and public safety, they’re doing just that.

– Elise L. Riley

Sources: Forbes, Business Insider
Photo: CrainsNY

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HIAS: Helping Jewish People Globally

HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, was founded in 1881, and its initial goal was to help Jews in Russia and Eastern Europe escape from the pogroms. As an organization, HIAS has maintained its original goal of helping Jews around the world flee undesirable, threatening situations, as well as managed resettlement programs for the individuals who must leave their homes.

Operating through the values of dignity and respect, empowerment, welcoming, collaboration and teamwork, excellence and innovation, and accountability, HIAS partners with other local refugee assistance organizations in order to maximize the amount and quality of care that goes towards helping refugees settle into new environments.

HIAS partnerships span all across the United States in order to help those seeking better homes both locally and abroad. Partners include the Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay, the Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, the Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County, the Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency and many more.

HIAS endeavors to not only provide refugees with physical freedom and aid, but also with emotional and psychological support. HIAS gives legal protection to those separated from their children, those seeking asylum, those who need medical attention and those who need protection from danger.

HIAS offers psychological counseling to refugees in order to help them deal with both the trauma they experienced in their old homes and with the shock that comes with moving to a radically different place. HIAS’ goal is to provide refugees with the chance to create a sustainable new life for themselves.

An example of HIAS’ success includes the securing of an asylum in New Jersey for a Syrian refugee who was being targeted by the Assad regime. Additionally, HIAS is managing to sustain a growing community of individuals coming from Iraq to Toledo, Ohio.

— Jordyn Horowitz

Sources: HIAS 1, Charity Navigator, HIAS 2, HIAS 3
Photo: JSpace

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Seven Hip Nonprofits that Work to Alleviate Poverty

With all the nonprofit organizations out there that work to alleviate poverty and combat climate change, it can be hard to choose which one to donate your time or money to. Here are seven hip nonprofits that you can consider donating to:

1. Earthjustice

Founded in 1971 as the Sierra Club Legal Fund, Earthjustice is a nonprofit law firm that works to protect our global earth. It has provided legal representation to more than 1,000 clients and all of its services are provided at no charge. Its three main priorities are promoting clean energy to combat global warming, protecting the health of communities and preserving wildlife and special areas.

2. Girl Effect

The Girl Effect was created by the Nike Foundation in partnership with the NoVo Foundation, the United Nations Foundation and Coalition for Adolescent Girls. Girls play a crucial role in global development. When girls are included in economic development, health and education, there is a better chance to alleviate poverty and prevent HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy and child marriage. This campaign is about empowering girls and providing them with resources. Its website is pretty cool, too: Girl Effect’s home page uses a video to state their message, mission  statement and what the viewers can do to support it.

3. Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit organization responsible for Sesame Street and so many more education television shows. Its projects provide valuable lessons in respect, understanding, health and literacy to children in more than 150 countries. Sesame Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere reach their highest potential. Its recipe for success is combining a curriculum that addresses children’s critical developmental needs with the sophisticated use of media and a large dose of fun.

4. Charity: Water

Founded in 2006, Charity: Water is a nonprofit organization that brings safe and clean drinking water to developing countries. Charity: Water’s goal is to eliminate diseases from unclean drinking water, and it has helped fund almost 7,000 projects in more than 20 countries. The organization has partnered with ONA products to produce a camera strap in which a percentage of the profit goes to Charity: Water.

5. Greenpeace

Greenpeace is the largest direct-action environmental organization in the world. Its goals are to promote peace and defend our earth by protecting our oceans and ancient forests and working to stop global warming. Climate change causes natural disasters that negatively affect food production, hindering efforts to reduce poverty and advance economic development. Greenpeace believes that alleviating poverty can be done without hurting the Earth. The environmental organization is determined that providing clean energy is essential in the fight to improve health and education and to reduce poverty. Greenpeace exposes and confronts the environmental abuse that is detrimental to lives around the world, while supporting environmentally-friendly solutions.

6. ONE

ONE is an international advocacy organization that works to alleviate poverty and preventable disease. ONE raises awareness and works with political leaders to demand greater transparency, increase investments in nutrition and agriculture and fight AIDS and other preventable diseases. ONE works with activists and policymakers to oversee the use of foreign aid, combat corruption, improve economic development and encourage poverty-reducing efforts. Their teams in Johannesburg, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, London, New York and Washington, D.C. lobby and educate governments to help shape policy decisions that will improve and save millions of lives.

7. Shining Hope for Communities

Shining Hope for Communities is a nonprofit organization that works to promote gender equality and alleviate poverty in the Kibera Slum, one of Africa’s largest slums in Nairobi, Kenya. SHOFCO provides free education for girls as well as poverty alleviation and empowerment programs. The organization provides health care, meals, access to clean water and toilets, school supplies, uniform and counseling to girls that attend The Kibera School for Girls. SHOFCO also provides services to the Kibera community through their community center in order to provide healthier lives for girls and their families and to inspire the community to commit to change.

– Colleen Moore

Sources: Alternative Press, Girl Effect, Sesame Workshop, Peta Pixel, CBC News, ONE.org, Global Giving
Photo: Animation Magazine

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Humans of New York: UN Millennium Project

Supported by the Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group, photographer and founder of Humans of New York Brandon Stanton has taken his portrait project to a global scale.

Stanton will be photographing people in ten different countries and says that, “It would be rather foolish to claim that these portraits and stories somehow represent ‘the world’ or humanity as a whole. The point of the trip is not to ‘say’ anything about the world. But rather to visit some far away places, and listen to as many people as possible.”

Stanton explains that one of the main objectives of the tour is to raise awareness and prompt action to complete the Millennium Development Goals, to be accomplished by 2015. The Millennium Development Goals include the following:

1.

To eradicate extreme hunger and poverty

2.

To achieve universal primary education

3.

To promote gender equality and empower women

4.

To reduce child mortality

5.

To improve maternal health

6.

To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

7.

To ensure environmental sustainability

8.

To enhance and increase global partnership for development

Stanton began his journey in Iraq and has since traveled to Jordan. He will venture next to the Democratic Republic of Congo, then travel to Kenya and then his trip will lead him to Uganda. His only stop in Europe will be in Ukraine. He will then go to India, following which he will be in Vietnam, and then he will photograph in Ecuador. His last stop as of now is in the Amazon – but at the end of the tour, if he has the time and resources, he will go to photograph in El Salvador.

Stanton remarked on the Humans of New York website that on his trip, “In addition to telling stories of individuals, we hope this trip may in some way help to inspire a global perspective, while bringing awareness to the challenges that we all need to tackle together.”

-Jordyn Horowitz

Sources: United Nations, Humans of New York, ABC
Photo: The Epoch Times

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Understanding the UN: Peacekeeping

The United Nations has been deploying peacekeeping missions since the U.N. Truce and Supervision Organization mission in 1948 which monitored the Armistice Agreement between Israel and neighboring Arab countries. Since 1948, U.N. peacekeeping has evolved to better respond to the world’s ever-changing and increasingly complex conflicts. What started off as a peace monitoring mechanism has become a major international actor in stabilization and development efforts in some of the world’s most volatile and protracted conflicts.

U.N. peacekeeping is managed through the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which was established to succeed the U.N. Office of Special Political Affairs in 1992 under Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. The DPKO may only deploy a peacekeeping mission after receiving the mandate through Security Council resolutions and missions may only be updated or changed through Security Council resolutions. There are three types of peacekeeping personnel that make up mission teams: uniformed personnel including military troops, police and military observers, civilian personnel both local and international and U.N. Volunteers.

Currently, there are 17 different peacekeeping missions around the world ranging in size depending on the nature and scale of the conflict. The largest is the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which employs over 20,000 personnel and has been operating in various forms since 1999. The mission in Congo also represents a departure from the normal rules and procedures of peacekeeping. Due to necessity and the nature of the Congolese conflict, the first ever “offensive” peacekeeping mission called the Intervention Brigade was launched in 2013 in order to more effectively address instability in the eastern region caused by various rebel groups and militias.

There are three rules to all traditional peacekeeping missions: (1) all parties of the conflict must consent to the deployment of peacekeepers in the area, (2) peacekeepers must remain neutral at all times and take neither side in the conflict, they serve merely as a buffer zone, and (3) peacekeepers may use force only in instances of self-defense or in defense of the Security Council mandate. All uniformed personnel are affiliated with the U.N. Member States. There is no U.N. standing army, so the U.N. depends on the contributions and donations of its Member States to carry out its missions, particularly in the form of uniformed personnel.

Today, U.N. peacekeeping missions are much more than just a buffer zone between two warring parties, peacekeepers are a central part of the stabilization and early reconstruction efforts of the areas where they are deployed. Peacekeepers are actively engaged in rebuilding the rule of law, justice and corrections systems, strengthening social and civil conditions, assisting with elections, aiding security sector reforms, carrying out demining activities and education programs about the dangers of landmines, promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, protecting civilians, protecting children in conflict areas, assisting with Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration activities and fostering and maintaining respect for human rights.

Peacekeeping missions are a crucial part of the immediate post-war reconstruction phase in countries which are frequently prone to conflict. They are a valuable asset to development efforts in areas that are home to some of the most vulnerable populations on earth.

– Erin Sullivan

Sources: NY Times, United Nations, United Nations 2, United Nations 3, United Nations 4, United Nations 5, United Nations 6
Photo: NY Times

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Chiquita: Behind the Banana Republic

The banana company Chiquitawas founded in 1870 by Captain Lorenzo Dow Baker, and since then it has become the largest banana producer in the world. Underneath their popularity and production lies many controversies surrounding the company.

In 1998, the Cincinnati Enquirer published a piece about Chiquita’s business practices, which included the company using illegal pesticides, destroying villages to use their land and even using their transport ships to smuggle cocaine.

The Cincinnati Enquirer later recalled the articles and announced they would pay more than $10 million to avoid being sued by the company. Whether or not their information was true and obtained legally is still under question.

In 2009, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was sent into exile and a coup took place. John Perkins and other activists believed there was a link between Chiquita and the coup.

Recently, the company has been sued by about 4,000 Colombians, who stated that the United Self Defense Forces (AUC), a parliamentary group that has gained funding from Chiquita,  has killed many of their family members. Because of Chiquita’s association with the group and the group’s work, family members of the deceased want the company to take responsibility.

Between 1997 and 2004, Chiquita gave $1.7 million to AUC, a group that the US and EU consider a terrorist organization, and has been held responsible for the torture and death of thousands of Colombians.

Between 1997 and 2004, Chiquita gave $1.7 million to the United-Self Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, a group that the U.S. and EU consider a terrorist organization, and has been held responsible for the torture and death of thousands of Colombians.

Chiquita has already paid a $25 million fine for their work with the AUC, but it is also believed that they were paying a “banana bribe” in order to use their relationship with AUC to control Colombia’s banana industry.

“Chiquita has great sympathy for the Colombians who suffered at the hands of these Colombian armed groups, but the responsibility for the violent crimes committed in that country belongs to the perpetrators, not to the innocent people and companies they extorted,” said Chiquita spokesperson Ed Lloyd.

The United States Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the decision was “outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts.”

While the company managed to escape the claims against them since their inception, with this new lawsuit gaining attention, it is hopeful that Chiquita will think twice before getting their hands dirty again.

– Courtney Prentice

Sources: BBC News, The Wire, Chiquita, Democracy Now!, Ethical Consumer, FundingUniverse, Gawker, NBC News
Photo: BBC News

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Zachary Levi, Comic-Con Support Operation Smile

While many of the conversations about the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) have been about the latest updates and footage from some of the hottest movies, some of the guest panels were doing good deeds.

Zachary Levi, from the television show, Chuck, used the opportunity to entice the fans as well as raise funds for Operation Smile. Some of the “Conversations for a Cause” panels hosted by Levi’s company, The Nerd Machine, included Badass Women, the cast of Orphan Black, and a conversation with Nathan Fillion, among several others. Last year, Nerd HQ, an offshoot of The Nerd Machine, raised around $215,000 for Operation Smile and this year they beat previous fundraising efforts.

Operation Smile is a non-profit organization that helps to pay for cleft palate surgeries in underprivileged areas. The deformity has a high prevalence rate and cleft lip and palates can inhibit a child’s ability to eat, speak, hear and breathe. Unfortunately, like many disabilities, cleft palate is incredibly stigmatized and many people born with it have trouble finding employment.

While Nerd HQ has garnered a reputation for innovation and technology in the four years since its inception, it is also gaining a philanthropic name. Since its partnership with Operation Smile, the non-profit estimates that Nerd HQ has raised over $400,000 to pay for the surgeries.

With many of the attendees noting Nerd HQ’s “Conversations for a Cause” as one of the highlights of the Comic-Con. Over the past two years, attendance and donations have increased so hopefully next year Nerd HQ can continue to increase its philanthropic donations.

– Kristin Ronzi

Sources: The Nerd Machine
Photo: Zachary Levi Star